
Star profile
HIP 18339
Variable starWhat is HIP 18339
In Eridanus —the long celestial river snaking south from Orion— shines a white A-type variable star. Its light has been travelling some one hundred sixty years: it set out in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, when railways were laying their first lines across Europe. Hotter and more luminous than the Sun, its brightness is not constant: it oscillates to a subtle rhythm. A Victorian flame pulsing in the bed of the great stellar river.
Where it is and when to see it
HIP 18339 lies in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye under a dark sky. Its best month of the year is November, when it culminates around midnight.
- From London it culminates about 26° above the horizon.
- From New York it culminates about 37° above the horizon.
- From Sydney it culminates about 68° above the horizon.
It can be seen from anywhere south of 78° N.
It ranks no. 128 in brightness among the 129 stars of Eridanus in our catalogue. To find it, start from Achernar, the brightest: it lies about 52° away (a fist at arm's length covers about 10°).
The light you see today left it about 160 years ago.
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A public signature from a real person. The chosen name is a symbolic denomination within Stelvia, with no official standing or IAU recognition: the sky is not for sale and belongs to no one.
Astronomical data for HIP 18339
- Constellation
- Eridanus
- Apparent magnitude
- 5.99
- Distance
- 160.5 light years
- Coordinates (J2000)
- RA 58.817° · Dec -12.099°
- Catalogue
- HIP 18339 · HD 24712
A symbolic commemorative gift: neither the signature nor the chosen name implies ownership of the star or recognition by the IAU.
Other stars in Eridanus
Eridanus has 129 stars in Stelvia's catalogue. Here are a few of them.
- AchernarAlpha Eridani0.45
- CursaBeta Eridani2.78
- AcamarTheta 1 Eridani2.88
- HIP 208925.95
- HIP 210425.95
- 21 Eridani5.97
- 55 Eridani5.98
- HIP 200756.00